A high-surf advisory remains in effect until noon today for the north and west shores of Oahu, Kauai, Niihau and Molokai and the north shores of Maui and Hawaii island.

The National Weather Service said surf of 10 to 15 feet can be expected on Kauai and Niihau and on the north shores of Oahu, Molokai, Maui and the Big Island.

Surf of 7 to 9 feet is forecast for the west shores of Oahu and Molokai.

Removal of old tree underway

City officials estimated it will take at least until the end of the month to remove a 155-year-old exceptional tree — one of the original in the collection at Foster Botanical Garden.

The removal is prompted by safety concerns. The 135-foot earpod tree on the upper terrace at the botanical garden has been dropping its large branches, which is a common occurrence with older earpod trees, officials said.

Arborists have been monitoring the tree for a number of years, as its health has been showing signs of decline, the city said.

It is one of the original trees planted on the property by Dr. William Hillebrand, the first owner of the property. Hillebrand later sold the land to Capt. Thomas and Mary Foster, who created Foster Botanical Garden.

The work began last week. The garden will remain open, but visitors will be kept out of the area immediately surrounding the earpod tree.

Landing pad passes a test via rocket blast

The Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems on Sunday successfully tested the durability of its lunar landing pad, which was built by robots.

The test took place at 1 p.m. at the Puna Rock Quarry in Keaau, Hawaii island.

The test consisted of a four-second burn of a rocket engine, power equivalent to the explosion of more than 25 pounds of dynamite. Some of the interlocking tiles were dislodged, but overall the pad held together, photos with a news release show.

For months PISCES scientists, along with engineers from NASA and Honeybee Robotics, have been working to construct Hawaii’s first robot-built vertical takeoff and landing pad using indigenous basalt material mined from a quarry near Hilo.

The basalt found in Hawaii is nearly identical to that found on the moon and Mars. The goal of the project is to test methods of construction for future space missions.

Visitor rescued from rough sea off Kauai beach

Rescuers airlifted a Seattle woman, 33, from rough surf in waters off Kauapea Beach, Kauai, on Saturday afternoon.

Firefighters from the Hanalei station, a rescue crew aboard the Air 1 helicopter, and lifeguards on Jet Skis responded to the scene just after noon.

The woman had swallowed a lot of water and was semiconscious, Kauai County said by email.

She was transported in serious condition to Wilcox Hospital.